Before the PlayStation and Windows XP era, games were… simpler.
By all means, the core system and the philosophy were much deeper than many sand-box games nowadays, so even though we couldn’t experience the realism of a virtual 3D world like today, we could really get into the game.
After a decade later, the taste of gamers has changed. Or has it?
You see, the term “taste” is such a subjective word that is only be true to some people. And as a game critic, I really feel like too many reviewers out there are just looking at games with a limited scope, measuring them against the top-selling games. In-game story telling cinematics, a very sad death of a favorable character, war zones with a shoot-and-kill simplicity and gore, or just a simple casual game that fits on your mobile so that you can show it off. It’s like top game-reviewing websites are setting these elements as standards for games that are being released today. And as a part of it, I sometimes too feel responsible for the outcome.
No doubt that awesome cinematics and eye-catching sexy characters help to boost the interest in gamers, and personally, I enjoy them too sometimes. But just because the game didn’t make one million sales or doesn’t have jaw-dropping visuals, it doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable to everyone. In fact, some of us still miss the old-school games like Syndicate from Bullfrog, Decent and Whiplash published by Interplay back in the 90s.
Greed: Black Border somehow inspires me to get back to my gaming roots, bringing me back to the 90s where gaming was simpler. Greed: Black Border looks and sounds like recent games, but it feels like a whole new remake of a 90s classic. So, is that a good thing or bad thing? If you couldn’t answer that question within two seconds, read on.
Before we tease you more, we’ll throw you a few bones; It;s a space-themed horror game with zombies and human attacking robots, originating from a resource war between mankind. It’s one of the most common scenarios in the gaming world. Very much saturated that it’s actually uncommon to see games with such plots all into one game these days. That didn’t stop Headup Games to publish Greed: Black Border though.
Headup Games defines this as a hack-and-slash, but it plays more like an action RPG. In fact, it actually has a good amount of RPG stuff in it, like giving stat points or upgrading skills per level up. The player uses the mouse for most of the controls, except for the dodge function, which is done with the keyboard. The mouse doesn’t feel like it works as it should sometimes. We don’t know what it is, but for a similar type of game, Torchlight feels much more smoother and tighter. The dodge technique using the keyboards suggests 4 directions, and though it is tough to master, it can save the character’s life once you master it. It’s just a pain in the ass.
zOMG deadly robots in space? But how?
The lighting in the horror genre is one of the most important visual characteristics of all, and Greed: Black Border does it right. Though it’s won’t make you scream like a girl, it gives you that weird kind of chill. The game doesn’t have super-crazy-on-the-edge graphic, but it runs smooth in a believable atmosphere. We don’t know why the Anti-Aliasing isn’t supported in game option menu, but since the players will most likely zoom out as far as they can, you won’t see many square-edges. Designs are alright, and has the horror factor, but we didn’t spot enough variety in corpses or items. The music fits the screen, and it does give you the spacey-horror mood, but nothing that will make your heart pump all the time. It’s just well balanced, that’s all.
The game system isn’t too bad, being action RPG. The RPG part isn’t too deep, as it doesn’t have too many skills to choose from, but with such a small combination available, the gameplay can dramatically change, dependind on how you set your character. So choose well, my friend.
The story-telling is alright. Not great, but okay. Gamers nowadays expect in-game story-telling with some sort of cinematics between chapters and levels, with cheesy dialogue between characters. With Greed: Black Border, you will get some real-time in-game cinematics here and there but it has no computer-generated movies. On the other hand, if you’re a gamer who loves to read, say, solving puzzles by reading scattered notes here and there, then you’ll find no problems going through missions. If you’re a player who just knows how to change weapons, point and shoot guns to get your frag points, you might find this game uneasy.
Reading makes you a smarter gamer. So true.
If you have been reading so far, you’re probably wondering if we’re giving this game a positive review. Okay, then let me ask you this; just because your favorite retro games doesn’t have jaw-dropping computer generated cinematics, or doesn’t have an epic orchestration of background music, do you hate your old favorites? HECK NO! We were there when 8-bit gaming began. It’s not the latest technology that drives the market; it’s the ideas that utilize the technology that drives gamers nuts, making us empty our wallets to have a good time. Yes, we love eye candy, but who can have sugar 24/7? No one should.
So before you decide if this is a good game or a bad one, you should ask first if the game fits YOUR taste, putting the so-called reviewers’ standards aside. I personally enjoyed it because I don’t mind reading the storyline through the in-game notes. I don’t mind solving puzzles that actually make me think before I press the mouse button. I don’t need the latest visual and physics engines to enjoy a game. None of their “features” turned me off.
Not too plain, but just old-fashioned.
But just because I was ready to enjoy a decade-old themed game with new visuals and graphics, didn’t mean everything went smooth. We’ve found a couple of small bugs such as choppy screens or not being able to click on anyone on the screen. They are both fixed easily by going back to the main menu and reloading the save, but it was definitely not the smooth ride I was expecting. Another concern was the multiplayer. It just wouldn’t connect to the host to join the game. The version we have installed is 1.0, and we did try to install the patch that fixes many problems but somehow it wouldn’t let us install the patch. Maybe because we got the copy from GamersGate, but it sure would’ve helped a lot for the review. Not that it’s GamersGate’s fault because we did see patches for many other games, but maybe Headup Games forgot to release them for GamersGate users. The game has been released for months, and it’s definitely a concern as a customer.
The game itself isn’t bad at all. It injects huge nostalgic effects right into our vain, with good graphics and a plain storyline plus the somewhat cool puzzles, especially if you like to read. But small things like bugs, and not enough variety between level and characters design, can wear out the excitement you’ve got when you first start the game. If you think action RPGs with fail-safe plots, isometrics viewed with semi-horror atmosphere is definitely your thing, you can try out the demo.
